Black History Month may be coming to a close, but Black history itself happens every day. The most immediate example that comes to mind is the success of award-winning haircare brand Sienna Naturals, as the company recently expanded its reach and is now available in Sephora stores nationwide. Founded by sisters-in-law Issa Rae and Hannah Diop, this latest partnership follows the launch of its latest offering, the D.N.A. Scalp Serum, which enhances hair growth and scalp health. As Sienna Naturals continues to evolve, Rae feels this collaborative effort with Sephora aligns with her and Diop’s vision.
“It’s a dream come true, honestly. When discussing the product line, Hannah and I had a goal of being in Sephora,” Rae said. “So, for this to happen is a huge win for us. Any opportunity for Sienna Naturals to be where more people can access it, specifically a place like Sephora, which just understands and amplifies brands, is a dream come true.”
When it comes to Black women’s impact on culture and consumerism, it’s something that can’t be denied. Unfortunately, that brand loyalty isn’t always rewarded, evidenced by the paucity in representation when marketing said products. This isn’t the case with Sienna Naturals as they, according to Diop, work to serve and center Black women not only in advertising but behind the scenes as well.
“We have always formulated haircare that addresses top concerns concerning hair and scalp health, such as dryness, damage repair, curl pattern, and scalp health. We test our products on women with textured hair, including Black women. The Black woman is our muse. What’s been so wonderful about the journey of creating these products is that this has been our muse from day one, and we’ve always followed the same rules, formulation standards, and levels of clean beauty. I love that we have always centered Black women as our muse, who we’re designing for, and who we’re testing on. And to prove that efficacy for them. And it really goes back to my personal experience. I was raised in a family that valued natural living and used healthy natural products from the natural food store that did not work. It did not feel good. I went through the experience of being burned by clean beauty, and I’m so extremely proud that we can bring this to the market, and do it with a partner like Sephora.”
For Rae, centering Black women’s experiences through the lens of hair is something she’s uplifted in other ventures, most notably her hit series Insecure. Rae felt that it was necessary to show her natural hair in all of its beauty via her fictional namesake, something that still resonates today with Black women.
“As a person who wears my hair naturally, it was vital to me to showcase it. I thought about my hair texture and length because I hadn’t seen it on a main character before, maybe since the ’90s; even then, it still wasn’t my literal style. If I were playing this lead character, who would ultimately be desirable, I wanted to ensure that her hair was shown. I was fortunate enough to work with a hairstylist, Felicia Leatherwood, who was great at showing the diversity of natural hair. Seeing people emulate some of those styles I can’t even do myself is dope. The other day, a woman approached me and said, ‘Oh my God, I did my hair just like you in this episode.’ It’s incredible to hear things like that.”
As Diop reflects on her own natural hair journey, she uses her experiences and traumas as fuel to continue using her platform to advocate for women who’ve faced similar hardships at the hands of society.
“Hair continues to be such an intimate category. Even though I am fortunate to pursue this category professionally, create for it, solve problems, and create products that didn’t exist for us before, I still find myself on this emotional journey. The experience I had as a child where people made fun of my hair, it’s still there. When it rears its head, I have the tools, and I can embrace my natural hair, and I love it. But I think it just brings into focus that these emotional scars and wounds that we had from childhood or have experienced from society are real. I think it’s such an important context as a CEO, as someone who’s running a company to address these issues, that I, too, have that experience deep inside of me, and I’m confronted with it occasionally. I think it just keeps the person relevant that we need to keep relevant.”
As Rae and Diop continue to trailblaze a path within the clean haircare industry, they’re undoubtedly paving the way for others to do the same. That legacy, for Rae, consists of opening the door for more Black women to continue to do the same.
“For me, legacy is beyond what you leave behind and what you want to be remembered for; it’s your impact,” Rae said. “I want to make sure that what I’m doing can impact the future. Whether that’s making sure that our stories are told or that we can operate specifically as black women in professions within any area, there are no limits to what we can pursue. I want to show and prove that myself and open the doors for others to be the same.”